Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Memorial Boulevard Tip topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MTPO adds construction phase of Memorial Boulevard (State Route 126) to TIP; project estimated at about $100 million
Summary
The executive board approved TIP Amendment No. 5 to add the construction phase for State Route 126 (Memorial Boulevard) to the TIP; staff said Phase 1 construction will cover about 2.1 miles and the estimated construction cost is roughly $100 million with significant right-of-way and utility impacts.
The Kingsport MTPO executive board approved TIP Amendment No. 5 to add the construction phase of State Route 126, Memorial Boulevard, to the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), enabling TDOT to forward the project for Federal Highway review and letting.
Leslie (MPO staff) described the corridor as a multi-phase corridor project that will ultimately run from East Center Street to Interstate 81. Because construction costs rose, TDOT and project managers split the corridor; the phase added by this amendment covers roughly 2.1 miles from East Center Street to Briarwood and was estimated in the presentation at about $100 million for construction.
Leslie said right-of-way for the full first phase had already been purchased and that the total project reflected substantial property impacts during right-of-way acquisition: staff cited about 269 tracts affected, 84 residential relocations and 15 business relocations during the right-of-way phase, and indicated it was one of the largest right-of-way projects in the state when acquisitions were under way. Leslie added that utilities represent a large portion of construction cost; Michael (local project staff) later estimated utilities on the project were in the $20–25 million range.
Board members praised design improvements and fixes to known safety concerns in the corridor. One board member said the redesign will address the location known locally as “Dead Man’s Curve.” Leslie said the project had had prior planning footprints going back to 2002 and was the subject of earlier corridor studies.
Leslie said the amendment programs construction funding split roughly as $24,000,000 in federal funds and $84,000,000 in state funds for this construction phase, using STBG and other state sources including Transportation Modernization Act funds. Staff said the construction letting had been moved into the fall (October) and that the project would need Federal Highway approval before going to advertised bid.
A motion to approve TIP Amendment No. 5 was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The board’s approval allows TDOT to forward the construction phase to Federal Highway for approval and to schedule the letting. Staff noted that construction schedules and final completion dates were not established in the MTPO presentation; staff estimated a three-year construction duration in response to a question, but no firm completion date was provided at the meeting.
